Stifled
by Dancing Mask
Summary: Some Ten-ten and Neji fluff, oneshot. Short, but very sweet.


**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine after all. **

The nurse looked up, smiling on autopilot as someone approached the desk. There'd been all sorts of young girls visiting the hospital lately- ever since those young men had been hurt, she knew.

They'd all been in such horrible condition- she hoped these children were ninjas, and could have protected themselves. Granted, they may have been- the black ops who brought them in wouldn't mention a word about it, and hadn't even told them what caused their injuries. Huffily, she wished they had been trusted with some information, so they could have helped the patients more. Some of those boys were really quite badly hurt…

"Hi again," began the girl, snapping her out of her thoughts. She already knew the way, and went straight to his room, bypassing the counter. Just outside the door she took a moment, calming herself, double-checking her hair and clothes.

Inside, Neji glared up as he saw someone enter his room. His expression softened when he saw Ten-ten, but subtly.

"Hi, just visiting to see how you are," greeted the girl. Neji was silent for a moment, looking at the brunette sharply. She noticed the overwhelming heat as she walked in; his room was sweltering.

Outside had been warm enough to make her sweat, but there was a cool breeze, and there should have been some form of air conditioning in his room. Instead, he had closed the window against the sun, pulling the curtains so that the whole room seemed to bathe in a golden gloom. The light was both bright and dull thanks to the curtains- it was so dim she had trouble seeing at first.

Neji greeted her back, calmly thanking her for taking the time to see him. He was lying on the floor this whole time, something that didn't surprise her. She stepped past him, arranging the rose she had brought as best she could in a vase. To be honest, she knew little about flowers, but didn't want to be the only girl in their group to not bring a flower to the hospital.

He resumed his push-ups, legs straining with the effort. Ten-ten sat on the side of the bed, watching him for a moment.

"So, how's life in the hospital? They treating you okay?"

"It's fine," he spoke tersely, the push-ups forcing out each word with an effort.

"Are you recovering well?"

Neji merely grunted, continuing his exercise while his strength held. Ten-ten didn't really mind what he said; she knew he wouldn't tell her if he was hurting anyway. She was really just letting him know she cared, which was enough for both of them.

She swung her legs absentmindedly off the bed, wiping her brow. The room was so warm; why would Neji keep it like this? Smiling to herself, she figured it was his way of paying himself back for failing their mission to rescue Sasuke. It was just the type of stupid macho thing he would do- in his own way, he was as bad as Lee.

Neji got up for a break, panting. His eyes held no expression, his gaze aimless.

"Here," Ten-ten held up a glass of water for him. Neji accepted it, murmuring his thanks. They were quiet for a moment, side by side on the bed.

"How's the village?" Neji questioned, ignoring most of her answer. Seeing her have something to talk about relaxed her- he'd learnt Ten-ten wasn't very comfortable in silences. It was something he didn't quite understand, but then, having more to understand and learn about her was a good thing in itself.

After a few minutes he tried to get up again, side hurting immediately.

"Stay put," admonished the brunette. "You shouldn't be working out at all."

"Then why didn't you stop me sooner?" Neji's eyes met hers for a moment.

"Because," Ten-ten spoke simply. "You wanted to, right?"

They both smiled, before Ten-ten pushed him over on the bed, so that he was lying down. In his condition, he might have been able to stop her, although it probably helped that he wasn't resisting. Reaching over to her bag, Ten-ten revealed some fresh fruits she had brought from home.

The heat was unbearable, but this made the fruit taste even more moist and chilling. Slowly, she fed him a small peach between her fingers, Neji savouring every bite. His lips felt strange, and he licked them to try and discover more of that aftertaste.

Wiping his brow, Ten-ten laid down next to him, her body still cool and light from outside. Neji was barely aware of the oppressive heat, as he wrapped his good arm around her and smiled.

Ten-ten squirmed closer, Neji's body like a furnace, passionate and comforting at the same time. They laid together like that until the sun had shifted, and the room began to cool.

**Based on a dream I had. It doesn't really make sense, especially since I took out the real people in it… Still, it was a very powerful and moving dream- I was sweating when I woke up… Hope this captures a little of that…**


End file.
